War of the Century (TV 1999)

Documentary examining Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Writer:

Laurence Rees

Stars:

John Erickson, Stephen Walsh, Samuel West

Cast

Credited cast:
John Erickson	...	Himself - Historical consultant
Stephen Walsh	...	Himself - Historical consultant
Samuel West	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

In 1941, Nazi Germany, seemingly near invincible in its military might despite its failure to break the UK in the Battle of Britain, makes one of its most disastrous military moves. Despite the danger of a two front war and the existence of a non-aggression pact, Hitler orders the full scale invasion of the Soviet Union. This series explores the reasons for this undertaking, its vicious nature on both sides and the general series of events of the bloodiest theater of the war that would ultimately turn the tide in the fight against the Third Reich.

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Plot Keywords:

invasion | nazi germany | ss | year 1941 | red army | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Details

Official Sites:

ABC [au]

Country:

UK

Language:

German Russian English

Release Date:

2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scorched Earth

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

200 min 50 min (4 episodes) 50 min (3 episodes)

Color:

Black and White Color

User Reviews

An outstanding documentary

I bought this documentary on a DVD, and seen it at least 20 times so far. No matter how many times I've seen it, every time I find a new interesting detail. It consists of 4 episodes, with the overall length of 4 hours so.

The brutality of the eastern front is revealed vividly, and one starts to understand where the second world war was really decided. Listening to real people (of all kinds) on both sides, and connecting this to historical facts gives a full picture of events.

This documentary is a masterpiece, and if you buy this DVD, you won't be sorry.